One day about a year ago I got notice for jury duty and groaned thinking how can it be a year already! They get me every year it seems. So I go in and sit in the lounge and my name gets called. I almost always get rejected because I work in a law office, my father, brother and uncle are attorneys, plus I'm applying for federal law enforcement. But I answered all the attorneys questions apparently to their satisfaction and by chance I made it onto the jury. It was then later revealed that this was a home invasion-rape-robbery case. We heard all the evidence, of which the DNA was the most fascinating. Deliberated for a couple days and gave our verdict.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/27/man-gets-76-years-life-home-invasion-robbery-and-r/
Man gets 76 years to life for home-invasion, rape
By Dana Littlefield
Originally published August 27, 2010 at 1:45 p.m., updated August 27, 2010 at 2:17 p.m. ... <remainder of article removed by moderator, copyright issues>
There were 3 robbers in all, on trial was one of the robbers (Keven Sellers) plus his girlfriend (Vanna) who was a lookout/guard. The mastermind is still out there somewhere, probably in Mexico if I had to guess. The mastermind (Tommy) was a contractor who had done some work for the homeowners' in laws and came by to do an estimate about a month before, and therefore knew the layout of the house. The robbers came in the backyard at around 8:30 pm accosting one of the tenants and forcing him to lie on the floor in the middle of the house. Then one of the other gunmen gathered the other tenants one by one and also forced them to lie down together and were tied up. One robber was left to guard the tenants while the other 2 ransacked the house. Apparently they where looking for a safe with $50,000, which did not exist. The robbers then waited for a couple hours for the homeowner and his wife to return so that they could lead them to the safe. They accost them in the garage and take the homeowner to lie down with everyone else, while one by one, both men rape and sodomize his wife. During a brief period when she is alone the wife gets to a cordless phone and dials 911, but she is unable to talk since her hands are tied behind her back, so she just leaves it off the hook. The operator figures out that a robbery is taking place and sends in the police. While the police are en route all of the victims are taken into the bedroom and placed together have a blanket put on top of them and are repeatedly doused with lighter fluid and threatened with being burned and shot if they don't say where the safe is. The police have arrived and surround the house, but do not enter. The Vanna comes out of the house to retrieve something from their car and is arrested without incident. All of this was caught on a security camera in the front of the house. A few minutes later Tommy comes out to check on Vanna and upon seeing the police bolts back inside the house yelling COPS! and running out the back of the house one way along with Kevin who ran another way. Tommy somehow evades the police dropping all his loot and both guns (a .357 Magnum and a Beretta) along the way. Kevin is confronted by police and arrested without incident near the back fence. An eye-opening experience to say the least and I came away with several lessons about how to protect against a home invasion and I hope you do too.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/27/man-gets-76-years-life-home-invasion-robbery-and-r/
Man gets 76 years to life for home-invasion, rape
By Dana Littlefield
Originally published August 27, 2010 at 1:45 p.m., updated August 27, 2010 at 2:17 p.m. ... <remainder of article removed by moderator, copyright issues>
There were 3 robbers in all, on trial was one of the robbers (Keven Sellers) plus his girlfriend (Vanna) who was a lookout/guard. The mastermind is still out there somewhere, probably in Mexico if I had to guess. The mastermind (Tommy) was a contractor who had done some work for the homeowners' in laws and came by to do an estimate about a month before, and therefore knew the layout of the house. The robbers came in the backyard at around 8:30 pm accosting one of the tenants and forcing him to lie on the floor in the middle of the house. Then one of the other gunmen gathered the other tenants one by one and also forced them to lie down together and were tied up. One robber was left to guard the tenants while the other 2 ransacked the house. Apparently they where looking for a safe with $50,000, which did not exist. The robbers then waited for a couple hours for the homeowner and his wife to return so that they could lead them to the safe. They accost them in the garage and take the homeowner to lie down with everyone else, while one by one, both men rape and sodomize his wife. During a brief period when she is alone the wife gets to a cordless phone and dials 911, but she is unable to talk since her hands are tied behind her back, so she just leaves it off the hook. The operator figures out that a robbery is taking place and sends in the police. While the police are en route all of the victims are taken into the bedroom and placed together have a blanket put on top of them and are repeatedly doused with lighter fluid and threatened with being burned and shot if they don't say where the safe is. The police have arrived and surround the house, but do not enter. The Vanna comes out of the house to retrieve something from their car and is arrested without incident. All of this was caught on a security camera in the front of the house. A few minutes later Tommy comes out to check on Vanna and upon seeing the police bolts back inside the house yelling COPS! and running out the back of the house one way along with Kevin who ran another way. Tommy somehow evades the police dropping all his loot and both guns (a .357 Magnum and a Beretta) along the way. Kevin is confronted by police and arrested without incident near the back fence. An eye-opening experience to say the least and I came away with several lessons about how to protect against a home invasion and I hope you do too.
